Be Mine

I've been out, today. Out shopping. With a view to doing a street-by-street review of shopping in Melbourne, I had a warm up wander around Flinders Lane. And I tried to find you some street style, but would you believe there was none!? I dont think people who work in shops count, either, as how can you tell if its THEIR style or just their work uniform?

I did however, find some fun things. Here are my travels:

Retrostar. Nothing. Alice Euphemia- nothing. Genki- adorable heart stamps with pink and red inkpad- how could I refuse? Perfect for stamping your friends with, perfect for an upcoming birthday party that includes a kissing booth! Shag- real rabbit fur grey chubby coat...... reminded me a little too much of the real rabbit in my backyard, and also didnt fit. Luckily. Grey dress with great abstract print on the front.... too expensive. Black dress with colours, birds and stars on it, fabulous but tag said size 6........ put me off. Magnation- best thing I was interested in was Eva Green on UK Vogue, bit old now and still over 10 sequins.....

Back to Genki to get the stamps and then down to Smitten Kitten to see whats what..... same stuff in there still gorgeous still TINY.

Home on the train and popped into Priceline for some matte pink nail polish..... any shade except bright hot pink...... doesnt exist. Every bottle is metallic/sparkling/glittery/shimmery. They are GROSS. I bought one, $4.75, and its no good. I dont want shimmery nails I want matte nails..... I dont know what to do! I guess I will pass this pink one on to someone more into shimmer, and just keep looking.

Oh and I had lunch at the French Crepe Cafe and as usual they were divine. The service always makes me feel bad for not knowing French (yet) and the food is always just lovely.

I have stuck to my rule of not buying any cheap junk (slightly revised to exclude anything in single digits ie perfect black and white striped tshirt at Target for $7) and I didnt buy anything I couldnt afford. Which is lucky as I am paying off the perfect black skirt at Fat.

eBay Goodness

I have been selling my junk on ebay for a while now and also buying stuff, and lately lots of people have been asking me how I do it and how to make things sell. So I present to you:

Zoe's Ebay Tips- Or, How To Supplement Your Meagre Income So You Can Buy More Clothes

1. First of all, you need to take some photos of what you want to sell. Try to take them on a white background so the colours can be seen. I use a white sheet or doona which is easy to lay out on the floor (or just use your bed, if you have white sheets on it). Take the photo as close up as you can while still getting the whole item in the frame.

2. Put lots of words in your title. (If you are completely new to ebay, use the "Sell" bit in the top right hand corner of the screen and follow the instructions- its easy). Selling something as "Black Dress" will not attract anyones attention and no one will bother looking at your item, not when there are other choices that say "Stunning black v neck dress with amazing slimming cut" or something similar. Use words like "gorgeous" "flattering" etc.

3. In your description, put everything you can think of. Size, condition, shape, age, amount of wear, original price, any problems/holes/stains etc, fabric, detail (ie buttons, zips, embroidery). If its shoes, add heel height, the size, the fit "its a 39 but short in the toes"). The more info you give people, the more likely they are to trust you and to buy from you. Even if your item has something seriously wrong with it, as long as you are upfront and people know what they are getting into, they will buy. If you dont tell them and they buy, they will complain and you will never sell anything again.

4. Set realistic prices. No one uses ebay to spend the same money they could buy something new for. Ebay is for bargains. I use the thought process: "would I rather have this, or $20? Would I rather have this or $5?" Set your price as low as you would accept. If you really want $60 for that black skirt, you may need to keep it a bit longer until it loses value for you. You will have more luck selling things for $15 and under. Once people start bidding, the price may go up and you might be pleasantly surprised. Otherwise, you might get 10 bucks for something you havent worn in months and hate the sight of, which you can put towards something much more suited to you.

5. Use Buy It Now. Personally, I dont buy a lot of stuff on ebay mainly because once I decide I want something, I want it NOW, and second, because I dont want to have to fight other people for it, and risk losing. Therefore, the Buy It Now option is sweet. Set the price a good $10-20 higher than your auction starting price, so its worth your while. Never set it at the same price as the auction price, always higher, or you dont give people the choice to bid (and you will never get any more than your starting price).

6. I recommend getting people to pay into a separate account, if you have one- this way, you can use this account to pay for postage and then you will know exactly how much you have to go shopping with!!

If you are not sure about selling something, experiment with putting it on at a higher price. If it sells, at least its worth your while, and if it doesnt, you can keep it for longer and see if you change your mind about it.

And finally, you can sell ANYTHING. Furniture you dont use, kitchen stuff you hate (brown glass dinner set, anyone? Its retro?!), clothes, shoes, jewellery, accessories, books, cds, magazines- have a look round at your stuff- anything you dont use or want can be sold! (Double check with ebay though before selling anything really random, like your pets or brother or something. I dont want to get you in trouble.)

Love and Loathing in Melbourne

We turned 1! LIM's very first birthday has passed us by without so much as a shy giggle, so as we have missed the party we will honour her instead with our very first Love and Loathing post, which will become a regular feature from now on.

Maudrey and I are huge huge fans of Diana Vreeland, the most inspiring woman who made such pronouncements as "elegance is refusal" and "why dont you tie black tulle bows on your wrists?" She is famous for her "why dont you..."'s and so here we have some of our very own.....

LOVE

• Agyness Deyn- what can we say?(Pic from wenn)

• Hats. They protect us, sure, and they are mandatory at beaches and festivals, but try a proper one (ie not baseball or surf visor) down the street! They will be so warm in winter and keep your hair dry too.

• Brooches. Fix them upon yourselves at every opportunity- dresses, cardigans, shirts, jackets, why not? They look gorgeous and add a jewellery-like effect without weighing you down too much.

• Natural fibres. No, I dont mean hemp or scratchy linen, I mean cotton and silk and all things nice. Nicer against your skin, much nicer for your body temperature and natural cooling devices (ie, sweating) and so much more chic than nasty blended-poly-things

• Handkerchiefs. I'm sure your grandmother has given you some dainty ones with your initial embroidered on them or just some pretty flowers, so why not use them? You can use a different one each day and you are helping to save the earth, too.

• Bunches of flowers (Valentines Day!) are always divine and a solid bunch of one type of bloom is so striking

• Has someone done you a favour? Dig out your frilly apron and bake them a cake or slice as a thankyou, instead of boxed chocolates or supermarket flowers

• Wear bright nail polish as an accessory. Hot orange and pink look fabulous against black, or wear black itself for some ultra-chic polish

Also; Pink; Elle Magazine (US, not UK); extreme haircuts; 70s glamour; proper underwear that gives a nice shape; personal tailoring so things sit just right; bars where the music is low enough for you to talk; Romy and Michelles High School Reunion.

LOATHE

• Rachel Zoe. The woman admits to tanning! And she has the premature ageing to prove it. Not cool enough for Marc Jacobs, not cool enough for us.

• Midriff. Absolutely unacceptable anywhere bar the beach. No one wants to see your muffin top! We all have one, most of us manage to keep ourselves covered.
  

• Cargo Pants. Despite what some people say, they are NOT making a comeback. Nice try, Just Jeans, but we don't buy it.

• Tanning. Obviously uncool, but still the teenagers are going for it. Pale is so lovely. Think porcelain, alabaster, smooth, delectable.

• Burgundy polyester suits with pantyhose and runners. Enough said.

• Really messy hair with bows and floppy ponytails. The schoolgirls love it, but they are not doing themselves any favours, hanging outside McDonalds in Camberwell or Swanston St wearing neon tracksuits under their schooldresses.

And finally; too-short skirts; too-short shorts; makeup that is meant to have a "tanning" effect but just looks dirty; chewing gum with your mouth open; extremely loud, public mobile conversations; dead straight, flat hair; stripy highlights.

Did I mention I love Hel Looks?

I love Hel looks. It's my favourite street style blog and it inspires me to attack Melbourne street style. Check this out:



Linda (27)
"My friend Piia has made these Kaksi-Två leggings. They give a wow effect to every outfit. At this point in time I need comforting clothes and this second hand cardigan is just perfect for that purpose. Boredom and Moomins inspire me."

Lusthaves

Oh why is it that when I don't have money I do things like browse net-a-porter and see things like this gorgeous marc jacobs cuff watch? Its is not helpful for me to see such things! I am doing well not spending money on crap things and clothes although I broke that yesterday when I bought Australian Vogue. It is now classified as a crap thing because it is annoying and out of date and the Lagerfeld Confidential DVD that came with it is not full length and we STILL have to wait until AUGUST to get it here in region 4. Totally over the poor efforts of VA!

ahhh, right.

I just scrolled to the bottom of the blog to check the stats thingy when i saw.... my new years resolutions. hahaha, went my brain, thats right, we made RESOLUTIONS, didnt we!

Bugger! Completely forgot. And its only the friggin 5th of Feb.

However, I can at least report that some of them are going well. I've been walking (soooo strenuous), I've bought some Vo5 hot oil things that seem to be ok, I havent bought ANY crap, which is totally awesome, really, havent bought any crap magazines, hooray, but the saving money thing isnt really happening. I mean, I'm not spending my savings, but I'm not really saving any more than the usual, and hence, dont have any money to be buying anything special.

However the other stuff I decided like looking for new jobs etc is going well, so perhaps that will all change within a few weeks and I'll be on an adult wage rather than a 16 year old wage, and there will be room for proper savings.

Meanwhile how BORING is Halston? Proves my theory that Rachel Zoe is old news, but still, I expected more.

Again meanwhile did anyone else see Rufus Wainwright on the weekend??? I went Friday night and I think I can safely say he rates in my top 3, and it was the best thing I've seen in YEARS. Hilariously funny, with fabulous costumes, the band were incredible, and it was just soooo fun. I never realised how witty he is, or the extent of his campness. So good. I tried to go again Saturday night but couldnt get the money, but if anyone tells me he did a different set, I will die. I took this pic, and I love glow in the dark suits!

Retread Threads

An interesting snippet from the Age Sunday Life mag...

"Rather than spend a fortune on new gard, thrifty fashion obsessives now "remix" pieces and customise op-shop fashion finds and post photos on the web. One Flickr group is devoted to the sport. It started in September 2005 and now has more than 6000 members. The best stylists walk the streets- not the photoshoot or runway backstages, explains Tricia Royal, the group's creator- The real innovators are you and me.

Remixing has its rules: originality is key, as is not reproducing a look from a fashion shoot. Lingerie and nudity are no-nos; in fact, the remixers who draw the most praise seem to pile on as many clothes as possible." (Kirsty Munro)

...with almost 30,000 outfits posted there is heaps to keep anyone inspired towards individuality.

Remember that postcard Granpa sent us from Florida of the alligator biting that womans bottom?

Thats right, we all thought it was hilarious. But, it turns out, we were wrong. That alligator was sexually harassing that woman.

I think of this quote every time I see this ad:


I wouldnt class myself as a "fan" of Puff Daddy, and yes, I still call him that, cos I think P Diddy is ridiculous and no grown man in his right mind would call himself that, unless of course his real name is Sean John, and thats what he likes to go by when he is pulverising his opposition in the fashion world, see example:

"Fashion is about speaking out, having that swagger, having that confidence, and Michael Kors' collection wasnt better than mine....I'm fashion. I'm full frontal fashion. I'm in your face.....Michael Kors is my man, and I'll shake his hand and congratulate him, but he aint as fly as me".

This upon Michael Kors winning Menswear Designer of the Year.

Anyway. I dont like Puff because I feel that he thinks he knows what women want, and what attracts them. And there are a lot of men that do that well, but I dont believe Puff is one of them. The thing about the ad that gets me is that it seems like he thinks "this ad makes me look like a sex MACHINE and this hot woman cant get enough of me she is PUTTY in my HANDS" where in actual fact, it looks more like the poor woman is thinking "I cant escape, this man is SO up himself and WHERE ARE HIS HANDS GOING???" She looks like she said no, and he thinks she means yes. She looks unconscious. It sums up so much about Puff its almost funny. He sure is full frontal fashion, and he sure has that swagger, but he aint as fly as he thinks. And the perfume smells foul. Hopefully it was a woman perfumer who mixed it and she put in a healthy dose of Mortein so any poor girl who is given it by her "trendy" boyface and wears it is at least repelling pests like Sean John.